When I placed my hand on the orb, I expected sothing glorious.
A radiant burst of light. A swirl of color. A dramatic reveal that would confirm everything.
But...
Nothing happened.
The orb in front of remained completely black. Not even a dim glow.
I stood frozen. So did the rest of the hall.
A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd.
lon, usually all smiles, hurried forward to inspect the orb, her cheerful deanor replaced by visible anxiety. More staff joined her, whispering, prodding, trying to figure out what went wrong.
"I... I apologize for the inconvenience. Please wait just a mont!" lon announced, her voice slightly cracked despite the magical amplification.
"Is the orb broken?" Lee’s voice called out from the balcony above.
"There’s no way it’s broken," Mark replied beside him. "That orb is magically reinforced with ancient mana."
Evelyn leaned closer to William. "William..."
Her voice trembled. If Alan could not rank high, and if the sa thing happened to Bob...
Would she ever see them again?
William placed a calming hand on her arm and nodded. "It’s alright," he said gently, trying to believe it himself.
All eyes stayed locked on the unmoving orb. The guild staff whispered urgently to each other.
"It looks fine from the outside," one of them muttered. "No cracks, no drain lines..."
"You checked the mana circuit?" another asked.
"Of course I did," the first one snapped. "I already poured in a fresh charge of mana before the ceremony."
"If that’s the case..." A senior staff mber turned to lon. "Tell everyone we need a delay. I’ll contact the Royal Magical Departnt. They’ll need to investigate this."
lon nodded and turned to the crowd.
"I’m sorry, everyone. We’ll need to pause the ceremony for a mont."
A wave of booing ,complaints and groans erupted across the hall.The excited energy from earlier turned sour.
anwhile, one of the male staff rushed out, running toward the Royal Magical Departnt.
I quietly walked back to the long bench and sat down.
My chest felt tight and my heartbeat erratic.
Despite what they said... I had a feeling the orb was not broken.
Looking at that dark orb reminded of the black sun I saw in the Realm In Between.
"You were never ant to enter that world, Alan. That world rejected you. That’s why you have no skills, no abilities. Even if you train hard, it won’t co naturally to you."
The words of the old man echoed in my head.
Was he right?
If this is the outco... then so be it.
But I’m not useless.I have the Limitless Bond. It has infinite growth potential.
I won’t let my future be decided by a glowing orb. Not in this world. Not anywhere.
Minutes later, the male staff returned, this ti, accompanied by a man in white robes. His face was partly covered by a ceremonial mask, and his steps were confident but reserved.
He silently approached the orb, placing a hand near its surface. His other hand moved in patterns, tracing runes in the air. For several long minutes, he examined it.
Finally, he turned to lon.
"Please try again," he said. "There is no issue with the orb."
lon gave a small nod, then turned to .
"Alan... could you please co up again?"
I stood. This ti, no shaking.
I took a long breath, stepped forward, and placed my hand on the orb once more.
This ti, I kept my eyes open. No more hoping. I was ready, whatever the result.
Silence fell over the entire hall.
And yet...
The orb remained unchanged. No light and glow. Just deep, motionless black.
I turned to lon. She was already looking at the robed man.
He sighed, then stepped forward.
In a clear, formal voice, he declared:
"The orb has been inspected and shows no fault. Therefore, based on the results..."
"This candidate, this gentleman is... classless."
I closed my eyes and let out a soft breath. I accepted it.
Classless.
I pulled my hand from the orb.
"If he is classless... then what rank can we assign him?" lon asked hesitantly.
The robed man shook his head. "I believe... there is no rank for him. I apologize."
"I know what rank he is!"
A loud voice rang out from the upper balcony.
All heads turned toward the voice.
Lee was leaning over the railing, a smug grin plastered on his face.
"He’s Rank G! The worst of the worst! Even worse than this guy!" He pointed mockingly at Oliver.
"F-rank Oliver now has company! Hahaha!"
His gang howled with laughter behind him.
The crowd joined in with full-blown laughter.
Their amusent echoed off the walls.
I looked up at Lee.
Just pray we don’t et on the street, buddy... unless you want Indra shoved to your butthole.
"It’s okay, dude."
Bob walked over and ruffled my hair.
I imdiately pushed his hand away, glaring at him. He only grinned wider.
"We both know you’re worthy of S-rank," he said, giving a big thumbs up.
"I already expected this kind of thing."
I turned and walked back toward the table.
"All the best, G-rank!"
"Never give up, G-rank!"
"Go, go, G-rank!"
The banter rained down on like daggers.
My veins twitched with each word. I was this close to snapping, until soone suddenly grabbed my hand.
I turned.
Evelyn.
She pulled down into the seat beside her. She leaned in close, her voice barely a whisper. "I know you’re not a failure, Alan. You’re stronger than all of us. Don’t let this bring you down."
Her eyes shimred slightly. But her face stayed strong.
Then ca a solid pat on my back. William.
He did not look at , just kept facing forward. "Whatever this ans," he said, "you and Bob are still our future aces."
These guys...
They don’t even know what they just did.
Back in my old world, back in that office where paper stacked higher than tower, no one ever said a word. No one helped. No one cared.
But here?
These people...
They chose to stand beside . Even during my worst.
A smile broke across my face.
"Yeah... thanks, you guys."
"And the last one... is Bob," lon announced.
Bob was already at the orb. He adjusted his belt awkwardly, pulling it up. Laughter erupted from the crowd.
"How did soone like him even get accepted? What a joke."
"Go back to your barn, pig! Hahaha!"
Damn these people and their mouths.
I clenched my fists, furious. How could they hurl insults at soone about to beco a fellow adventurer? Did they know nothing of camaraderie?
Bob ignored them all. His hand rested on the orb. For several seconds... nothing happened.
My heart sank. No way.
Don’t tell ... Bob is also classless?
The crowd started laughing again, louder now. "Another classless incoming!"
But Bob did not flinch. His eyes stayed focused...
That sa unwavering gaze he had whenever he was building his cha figures.
And then...
The orb trembled.
"What?" The robed official from the Magical Departnt leaned forward, eyes wide.
He had never seen this before.
Cracks began forming where Bob’s hand touched the orb. Thin at first, like spiderwebs, then growing, spreading like lightning over glass.
Gasps filled the room.
I stood up instinctively, craning my neck. Everyone was on their feet now. I pushed forward, shoving my head between the crowd.
And then I saw it.
Light.
Small rays first, seeping out from the web of cracks. Then more. More and more, until the cracks widened, and the orb trembled violently, as if sothing inside was trying to be born.
And in one breathtaking mont..
BOOM.
The orb shattered.
A shockwave of light exploded outward, illuminating the entire hall.
It was like a miniature sun had hatched right in front of us.
Everyone raised their hands to shield their eyes from the blinding light.
After several seconds, the brilliance faded, and I could finally see... A silhouette of a man, standing with his back to .
Beyond him, radiant lights swirled and danced, Red, blue, yellow, purple, and even colors I could not na. They shimred across the floor and ceiling like a disco light, painting the entire hall in magic.
The crowd was stunned. Every head turned upward, mouths open, watching the dazzling phenonon.
"Th-this... this is impossible..." the robed man from the Magical Departnt muttered, his voice trembling with disbelief.
lon, who had been staring in stunned silence, finally snapped out of it and turned to the man. "What is happening here?!" she asked urgently.
The man’s eyes remained wide. "This... this is a phenonon that has only occurred once before in the entire recorded history. I never thought I’d witness it with my own eyes..."
"Just tell us already!" Lee shouted from the balcony, his voice filled with frustration and awe. Even he was speechless at the display.
The man took a breath, steadying his voice.
"This... is the awakening of a Hybrid Class. But not just any hybrid...
This is the most complete hybrid that has ever existed."
He looked around the hall, his voice now ringing with certainty.
"A Pri Rank Hybrid. The ultimate... S-Rank."
"What?!" Mark shouted, shocked.
The room exploded.
Cheers , gasps and screams of disbelief.
To think that one of the greatest potential adventurers was here, in this guild.
lon raised her voice above the noise, bursting with excitent.
"BOB! THE S-RANK PRI HYBRID CLASS!"
"YEAHHHH!!!"
The crowd erupted louder than ever before. Adventurers rushed forward, surrounding Bob. They lifted him into the air like a champion of a grand tournant, tossing him up as he laughed proudly mid-air.
"This is beyond anything I imagined," William muttered, rubbing his forehead, smiling in disbelief. "To think... he’s a Pri Hybrid..."
"We did it, William! We did it!" Evelyn cheered, hugging him from the side, beaming with pride. "I can’t wait to tell Maya after this!"
And ?
I stood quietly among the crowd, watching. But I did not feel jealous. Not even a little. I felt proud, happy and grateful.
My best friend was being celebrated for who he truly was. And I knew that our lives were about to change forever.
Again.
---
anwhile, in the upper levels of the guild...
A man rushed up the staircase, breathless.
He did not stopped and knocked as he burst through the door of the Guildmaster’s room.
Everyone inside turned toward him, eyes narrowed.
"Why are you not knocking?! This is an important eting!" Mirinda snapped, clearly irritated.
"I-I apologize," the man stamred, bowing deeply.
"But Guildmaster, you need to see this. Imdiately."
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